Growth Think Tank

When you understand the underpinnings of culture, you will be a more decisive and effective leader. Alain Hunkins is a thought leader and expert in the area of culture. We talk about this book, "Cracking the Culture Code," that will unlock a new awareness in your leaders and impact your company. Alain Hunkins serves on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education. His clients include Wal-Mart, Pfizer,...

When you take time to attend meetings or even take time away from the office, do you feel a touch of anxiety about the amount of email that will clutter up your inbox? The "I get too much email" is a familiar feeling for anyone who is a business founder. Today, we look at some of the real issues that lead to "too much email." There is a bigger problem going on that you have to understand. Discover...

Decisions shape the stories of our lives. Better decision making requires you to use everything you have available to you. Today, we look at the five questions to better decision making with Andy Stanley. Andy is a pastor and founder of Atlanta-based North Point Ministries. Andy is also the author of Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, and many more books too. His messages, leadership videos, and pod...

In times like today, we have to move fast. We must be encouraging agility at all levels of the company. Encouraging agility is hiring the right people. It is about how you lead them too. Today's guest is Chris Ratterman, CEO of Shady Rays. His company was ranked #54 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. They sell fantastic sunglasses, reading glasses, and blue light glasses. I loved their ordering process, a...

Getting your team to perform at a higher level is a big part of your job as a great leader. One essential element of growth has team alignment, that is a competitive advantage. But you have to build your ideals of team alignment on the right framework. In today's short video behind the scenes, we look at "what does real team alignment look like?" Getting a higher level of team alignment will give...

Nearly every fast-growth company knows the power of company core values. The real question is, how do you lead with core values? The core values become guardrails to success and provide support for decision making inside our companies at all levels. Our guest today is Joe Payne, CEO, and President at Code42. His company was ranked #3908 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Joe gives his approach to lead wit...

All growth requires you to go beyond your comfort level. Working requires muscle failure for growth. Leadership requires you to go beyond your comfort level. Let me share a quick story about how a leader learned the hard way about growth and comfort levels. To grow as a leader you want to find the edge where you grow and that edge is where you are uncomfortable. Get the show notes for Leadership R...

Fast-growth companies understand the power of transparency. Transparency happens when leaders dare to be open with their people. This openness provides a connection that endures all kinds of challenges. The power of transparency is clear to me after hundreds of founders and CEOs have told me how critical it has been to their growth. Today's guest is Matthew Nix, CEO of Nix Companies. His company w...

One counterintuitive factor in many fast-growth businesses is the strategy of encouraging an entrepreneurial culture. An entrepreneurial culture is where every person embraces thinking like a business owner. When you have an entrepreneurial culture, you have a group of empowered employees that feel and act like owners. My guests today are the executives of Dynamic Blending. We have Gavin Collier,...

When you are always behind, you will struggle to move forward. The feeling of being behind is negative energy that pulls you away from your highest level of thinking. As I share with you today, when you are always behind, you have to be intentional about how you make the next move. I was the CEO of a fast-growth company, and I give you two things that you can do that will help you lead your people...

Google has been able to create one of the strongest brands over the last two decades. The amazing people at Google did an in-depth study on what makes high performing teams. They discovered that leaders must create psychological safety for teams to perform to their potential. Leaders often have a blind spot for creating psychological safety, so I keep creating content to help you understand it. To...

Getting what you want is easy when you know how to ask for it. Today, we talk with the authors of Ask! Mark Victor Hansen and Crystal Dwyer Hansen share their wisdom on their new book. Mark Victor Hansen is the co-author of the "Chicksoup for the Soul" book empire. We explore their findings of asking the right way. We talk about it from the lens of a leader. Get the show notes for Mark Victor Hans...

Taking time away from the office with your executive team is an essential part of team alignment. When you are conducting an executive retreat, you want to make the most of it by remembering to include the three details plus all the strategic initiatives. One big mistake I see with conducting an executive retreat is the total focus on the organization's work, projects, and goals. It is common to i...

One of the essential elements of company culture is the company's core values. After studying fast-growth companies for the last few years, I know that growth through core values is real. Today's guest is Aaron Grossman, CEO of The Talent Launch Network. His company was ranked eight consecutive times on the Inc 5000 list. We look at growth through core values and how organizations leverage these v...

There are many levers to pull to create growth in your company. One essential strategy is using leadership development programs. When you develop influential leaders, you have more connections and drive within the culture. Using leadership development is one of the most profound ways to ensure growth. Today's guest is Lawrence Armstrong, Chairman of the Board at Ware Malcomb. This company was rank...

Listening is one of those skills that we take for granted. Yes, you listen to others. However, when I say, "Leaders are listeners," I want to say that you need to improve your listening skills, so your employees feel understood. I have seen over the years that great leaders know they must listen beyond the words. In this behind the scenes, we look at ways you can improve your listening capacity. G...

Leadership requires many skills. One essential aspect of leadership requires you to manage the team of people to a higher level. When you manage the team well, you lift their confidence and empower them to go beyond their current thinking. Today's guest is Bill Kerr, CEO of Avalon Healthcare Solutions. His company was ranked #4 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Bills shares how he leads his team through...

The company mission is essential to bonding the people together. One perspective on the mission is to put the customer first. When you have a focus on customer success, you can understand them better. Today's guest is Guru Hariharan, CEO of CommerceIQ. His company was ranked #4158 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We look at the common misunderstanding of customer first. Guru shares why putting the custo...

When you put in an hour or two after dinner, you may feel productive. But working before bedtime could be hurting your company's growth. Working before bedtime is a sign that something is wrong in your culture. Take a look at what your second shift of work costs you in today's behind the scenes. You may rethink your habit of working before bedtime. Get the show notes for Is Working Before Bedtime...

How do you empower employees in today's crazy world of leadership? Start by knowing that the leaders that empower employees understand how to stop micromanaging. When you empower employees, you signal a deep trust in them. My guest today is Darpan Munjal, CEO of Squadhelp.com. His company was ranked #275 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Darpan knows the benefits when you empower employees. We look at th...

The opposite of micromanagement is empowering your employees. When you have the skills of empowering your employees, they have a feeling of ownership that drives the business forward. My guest today is Greg Zalkin, CEO of Creative State Marketing. His company was ranked #384 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Greg shares his insights to empowering your employees. We look at what gets in the way of leading...

Many founders and CEOs have worked hard to get where they are today. And the next level of growth is possible, but you feel you are the bottleneck. Today, I am going to share with you a story about hope. This story is about how a client shifted his leadership model and removed himself from a big part of the day-to-day of the business. Discover the power of shifting your leadership model. Get the s...

Companies that are engineered for growth know the importance of teamwork. One of the most critical teams is the CEO and COO. Today, we look at how to optimize working with your COO. Our guest is Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media. His company ranked #110 in 2017 and #1508 in 2020 on the Inc 5000 list. Eric shares his insights about working with your COO during times of fast-growth. Some...

Many of my clients say they need to be themselves to continue growing their companies. However, over the years, the work and pressure have caused them to lose sight of who they are. Getting what you want is likely a focus on you being you. Today, we look at the art of authentic leadership. When you embrace authentic leadership, you have to strip away all the beliefs that have gotten in your way. M...

Your time is precious. How you spend your time is an indicator of what you see as important. To lead your people, you have to stop being overwhelmed. You have to stop over-scheduling. Today, I am sharing with you part of my struggles and how you can stop being overwhelmed. Discover two strategies that will help you as a leader and stop being overwhelmed. Get the show notes for How to Stop Being Ov...